Candidates from all parties: champion Ukraine's cause in the European Parliament

Dear Sir or Madam, Candidates for the European Parliament

You are a candidate for the European elections on 9 June 2024. That is why we are turning to you regarding Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The many appalling war crimes and crimes against humanity that it has been committing there for more than two years shock our conscience and that of our compatriots.

This is the most brutal aggression on European soil since 1945, but the Ukrainian people, their democratic institutions, their local or national elected officials and their president are standing firm. They are defending our values of freedom and democracy, but unfortunately are paying the price in tens of thousands of deaths. The declared aim of the Kremlin, which has the gall to speak of "denazifying” Ukraine, is the annihilation of that country as a state and its “Russification ” by any means possible. This is made evident in the illegally annexed territories by the killings, torture and sexual violence perpetrated by the Russian army, the mass deportation – as Russia openly claims – of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, including a great many children, the attribution of Russian passports to Ukrainians under coercion ("forced passportisation"), or the destruction of history textbooks in schools…

A crucial part of Ukraine's future is being decided at the level of the European continent, the very place Ukraine undoubtedly belongs to. Ukraine's defeat would mean the defeat of our democratic and social values and would give a green light to Russia and its allies for further aggression against our countries. The security, economic, social, environmental and cultural future of our nations is at stake. This is therefore a major issue for the European elections in June 2024.

That's why, together with the organisation For Ukraine, for their Freedom and Ours!, we urge you, should you be elected at the European Parliament, to support and defend the following 14 points in the form of a Commitment Charter to Ukraine by a solidary Europe .

The organisation that initiated these calls is conducting its action on a strictly non-partisan basis and has already received the support of candidates affiliated or associated with a diversity of groups.

Looking forward to receiving your agreement, which you may also send to appelpourlukraine@gmail.com,

With warm regards,

COMMITMENT CHARTER TO UKRAINE

1. Support Ukraine’s accession process to the European Union ;

2. Restore and defend Ukraine's internationally recognised borders, and oppose any pressure to force Ukraine to cede territory to Russia ;

3. Continue and step up the European Union's humanitarian, material and military support to the Ukrainian government ;

4. Mobilise the European defence industrial base to supply Ukraine with the weapons that will enable it to restore its territorial integrity, to protect its infrastructure and airspace, and to prepare and carry out a victorious and decisive offensive against the Russian army. To this end, ask each Union country to increase its annual contribution to military aid to Ukraine to 0.25% of its GDP ;

5. Demand the return of all Ukrainian children abducted and deported to Russia, as well as an immediate halt to all Russification practices: identity changes, illegal adoptions, indoctrination, military training; demand the return of all deported civilians ;

6. Support the prosecution of all perpetrators of crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, in particular murders, torture, sexual violence and deportations of children ;

7. Ensure that sanctions are implemented, penalise their circumvention and reinforce them by suspending the investments and commercial activities of European companies in Russia, especially those involved in its military or police operations ;

8. Set up a European body to monitor exports to third countries of dual-use technologies that could be used by Russia against Ukraine, and identify such exports ;

9. As part of war reparations and in accordance with customary international law, support the confiscation of frozen Russian public assets held in European Union member states, to be used for the benefit of Ukraine, and push for the adoption of all regulations contributing to this end ;

10. Obtain recognition of Vladimir Putin's illegitimacy as President of the Russian Federation from the European Council and the European Commission, in accordance with the Resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 25 April 2024 ;

11. Implement all the proposals of the Resolution on Foreign Interference adopted by the European Parliament on 1 June 2023, in particular measures to combat disinformation and cyberattacks, and put an immediate stop to the satellite and internet broadcasting of Russian propaganda services by companies in the European Union ;

12. Intervene for the release of Vladimir Kara-Mourza, Ilya Yashin, Oleg Orlov, Maria Ponomarenko, Alexei Gorinov, Alexandra Skotchilenko and all those imprisoned in Russia and Belarus for their political opposition ;

13. Take measures to support Russian and Belarussian journalists in exile, and assist projects aimed at breaking Russian censorship, such as the Svoboda channel package for freedom in Russia, which is promoted by Reporters Without Borders ; and

14. Oppose all destabilising actions by Russia, especially in Georgia, Moldova, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Baltic countries.